Medvedev says the West plotted to assassinate President Zelensky
(Baonghean.vn) - A senior Russian official believes that Poland's statements about a "Russian plot" against the Ukrainian President being suppressed are a warning sign of this.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said allegations that a Polish man was plotting with Moscow to assassinate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky were a sign that Western countries supporting Kiev wanted to "eliminate" the Ukrainian leader.
Polish officials said on April 18 they had arrested a man accused of trying to pass sensitive information to Russian intelligence. Warsaw and Kiev said the information could have been used in a plot to assassinate Mr Zelensky.
However, in response to the above statements, Mr. Medvedev, who is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote on social media on April 19, questioning the plot against Mr. Zelensky's life in Poland and said: "This is really serious. This could be the first evidence that people in the West have decided to eliminate him...".
The Polish citizen, identified by the State Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw as Pawel K., faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of attempting to cooperate with a foreign power against national interests.
Specifically, Pawel K. is accused of trying to share information with Moscow about the Rzeszow–Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, which is used to transport weapons and ammunition that NATO members support to Ukraine to fight against Russia.
However, Polish officials claimed that Pawel K.’s revelations could have “contributed” to Moscow’s planning of an attack on Mr Zelensky during his visit to Poland. Kiev’s successor agency to the KGB, the SBU, echoed these allegations in a separate statement.
Warsaw claims that Pawel K. was in contact with Russian citizens “directly involved” in the Ukrainian conflict. Polish authorities were informed by Ukrainian security services about what they considered to be a threat.
President Zelensky has told Western media that Russia has been trying to assassinate him for years, with many plots foiled by his security forces.
However, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Russian President Vladimir Putin personally assured him in March 2022 that Moscow would not assassinate Mr. Zelensky.